[Newsbot]

Title: 'Serious spill' from sunken US oil rig
Category: Environmental
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2010-04-25 17:10:26

[rickc]

This is going to put a big dent in "drill here and drill now".

[Canadian_Mind]

Yea, too bad too. This happens once in a blue moon, out of how many operating drill platforms?

Like saying we shouldn't fly because a plane crashes.

[wildrosegirl]

Plane crashes don't create a 1500m kill zone, and increase their contamination area daily.

[Canadian_Mind]

That kill zone is still an insignificantly small portion of the ocean area compared to that which would be effected if all rigs sunk at once and spilled their oil. Just as one plane crash kills an insignificant;y small portion of the total people flying at any given moment.

It sucks this happened, both the lives lost and the environmental damage. I do dearly hope that stricter regulations come from this, but it is no reason to prevent future expansion of the offshore oil industry.

[wildrosegirl]

Canadian_Mind Canadian_Mind:

That kill zone is still an insignificantly small portion of the ocean area compared to that which would be effected if all rigs sunk at once and spilled their oil. Just as one plane crash kills an insignificant;y small portion of the total people flying at any given moment.

The problem with the spills is that they'll continue to grow quickly until they're contained. A TON of damage will continue to be done for years until the majority of it is contained and cleaned up. The damage done is devastating.

$1:

It sucks this happened, both the lives lost and the environmental damage. I do dearly hope that stricter regulations come from this, but it is no reason to prevent future expansion of the offshore oil industry.

Agreed. Learn from it and improve on the current system.

[Canadian_Mind]

Yea, just saw they haven't capped it off yet. the wellhead is 1500 meters below the ocean level? I ws under the impression it wasn't that far down.

Figure they would have planned for something like this (a rig collapse).

[Scape]

They are trying with robotic subs but no idea if it will work. Could be days or months.

[herbie]

Opponents of exploration off the BC Coast have some fresh ammunition....

[PostFactum]

Now the USA can say that they really have it)))

[CharlieHammer]

Interesting thread to read from back when the spill was new.